Liberal Democratic Party of Japan

The Liberal Democratic Party is a conservative political party in Japan, founded on 15 November 1955. The party merged several right-wing parties in Japanese politics to form a strong opponent to the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party; the CIA sent the party millions of dollars to influence Japanese elections from the 1950s to the 1970s. During the 1980s, the LDP presided over unprecedented economic growth and a successful economy, but Japan's economic bubble burst in 1993, leading to the LDP losing control of the government. In 1998, the powerful Democratic Party of Japan was formed, proving to be a major opposition party in the country. The party's support declined during the 2000s, losing its House of Representatives majority in 2009. In 2012, however, the LDP and Komeito won power by forming a coalition government with Shinzo Abe as Prime Minister.